tMF | The Movie-Fanatic

Definitely one of today's most sought-after young talents, Saoirse Ronan is poised to take top ranking at tMF's updated 50 Hottest Young Actresses list. Considered one of the youngest ever to get an Oscar nomination, the young actress is already building an impressive acting resume that includes Atonement (where she got nominated for the Academy Awards), Death Defying Acts, City of Ember and The Way Back.

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Highly Anticipated Role: After wowing audiences worldwide with her performance in Atonement, the 14-year old actress will once again enchant and amaze moviegoers with her upcoming film, The Lovely Bones. Based on the best selling book by Alice Sebold, The Lovely Bones is the story of a 14-year-old girl from suburban Pennsylvania who is murdered by her neighbor. She tells the story from Heaven, showing the lives of the people around her and how they have changed all while attempting to get someone to find her lost body.

With Peter Jackson at the helm, and starring Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz and Susan Sarandon, The Lovely Bones is one of the most anticipated films for 2009.

Says the young actress about the movie:

I know a lot of people must think that The Lovely Bones is a pretty dramatic film and it's going to be really deep and dark and everything, but I promise you it's not," explained Ronan. "It's really humorous and funny and bright and happy. Then this awful thing happens and it kind of makes everyone really sad, obviously, but they have to get on with things. It's like the journey that Susie takes to learn to let go and realize that she can't be with her family anymore, and the same for her family. They have to let go and they know that they can't be with Susie. But it's a really funny, lighthearted thing. There's some really dramatic scenes in it as well, which is great with The Lovely Bones because you kind of get the best of both worlds. You get to do funny scenes and dramatic scenes. You get to cry, you get to laugh, so it's great.

What makes her such a talented actress at a very young age? Probably one good reason is the fact that her father, Paul Ronan, is also an established actor himself. Accompanying her dad on the set of The Devil's Own, she miggled with the movie's lead star, Brad Pitt and was said to be quite close to the actor. That may also be the case with Cate Blanchett who stars in Veronica Guerin, another movie where her Dad was involved in.

Adds Gemma O'Doherty  in her profile of the actress:

When she was eight, she went to Dublin to audition for the RTE drama, The Clinic, and landed her first job. Her next was a part in the TV series, Proof, before she was catapulted into the big time, starring beside Michelle Pfeiffer in I Could Never Be Your Woman, Catherine Zeta Jones in Death Defying Acts and Keira Knightly in Atonement. In it, her portrayal of 13-year-old Briony Tallis, the impetuous heroine who spends her life seeking to atone for a devastating lie she told as a child, was lauded as a triumph, her cut-glass English accent the work of a versatile genius.

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Saoirse is determined to go back to school once she finished her work in The Lovely Bones. Unlike some teen starlets who aim for celebrity status, Ronan is determined to stay out of the limelight and concentrate on her craft.

Says her agent, who also points out Ronan's more 'normal' preferences:

It's of huge concern to me, when you are nominated for an Oscar at 13 years of age, what's going to excite you when you are 23, but in Saoirse's case, I'm not worried. She is very aware that this is a very good run but it mightn't stay good forever. She's seen her dad go through that so she is very realistic about acting. She is mature but not in an obnoxious way. When we attended the premiere of Atonement in London, she could have worn any designer ball-gown she chose but she wanted to go dressed like a 13-year-old girl and she did.

Hopefully, she'll stay the same!

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[ Photos: Movie stills from Atonement, City of Ember and Death Defying Acts featuring the young actress. Cover photo from Reuters. ]